‘Police commissioner led operation to unseat Akwa-Ibom Gov’

OrderPaperToday – Senator Bassey Akpan has accused the Commissioner of Police of spearheading the invasion the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly on Tuesday alongside five suspended members’ allegedly to impeach the State Governor, Emmanuel Udom.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate Wednesday, Akpan said he physically witnessed how the state Commissioner of Police led over 100 officers to invade the Assembly.

According to Akpan, “Just yesterday, at about 6 am, a contingent of over a hundred mobile police men led the five suspended members of the Akwa-Ibom State House Assembly into the chambers of the Assembly. It is on record that none of the 21 authentic members or staff of the Assembly were allowed into the premises.

“I saw it myself, I was there with the Governor and I can authoritatively say that the recently posted Commissioner of Police to Akwa-Ibom led that operation….”

At this point he was interrupted by Senator Barau Jibrin who opined that the matter should not be brought before the Senate as it is in Court. Jibrin added that in the spirit of true federalism, issues relating to the state should not be debated at the federal parliament.

Jibrin was however overruled by Senate President Bukola Saraki who insisted that the Senate must speak against attacks on the parliament wherever it occurs.

Akpan continued: “Just yesterday, the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly moved a motion, a general consensus that the Commissioner of Police must vacate Akwa-Ibom in 24 hours. We do not need the Commissioner of Police, he is not there to maintain peace and order, he is there to cause chaos and mayhem in line with the plans and programmes of the APC in Akwa-Ibom state.”

Senator Akpan then laid down pictures related to the incident as the red chamber mandated its Committee on Police Affairs to submit a report on the incident within 48 hours.

Damilola is an award-winning Writer, Researcher, and Community/Sustainable Development Practitioner. His interests and experience span across media, academics, human capital development, and strategic planning.
An alumnus of the prestigious Lagos Business School, Damilola's writing work on violent extremism in Nigeria won a PeaceWriteNow prize, presented by the Embassy of Ireland in June, 2018.